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Re: plywood nuc boxes

Not meaning to hijack a thread but Advantech has been mentioned here a couple times and on other threads. I live in central Wisconsin and have never seen this stuff. What is it, and where can you get it? Thanks.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

i asked about it in home depot depot yesterday "i think i might of heard of something similar to this" was the closest i could get to an answer... evidently their sale on free dumb looks is still in progress.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

I do think that plywood would be ok if you made sure the edges were sealed good either by coating them with good exterior glue or caulking, then painting them with quality paint. I plan to use my nucs year round, so they would really need to hold up to moisture especially in winter. I'm leaning towards solid pine, but I may put together a few plywood ones too just to see how they hold up if I seal and paint them up good. John

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Advantech is an engineered wood product similar to OSB, which it looks like.

It is similar in cost to exterior plywood, but easier (in my opinion) to work with, and is not only put together with waterproof glue, but the wood chips it is made of are impregnated with a waxy substance to protect them from moisture.

If left unprotected outdoors, it lasts longer than plywood.
After a year laying on the ground bare, rained and snowed on, going through norther freeze/thaw cycles, it looks the same as when it was put there, except for a little sun bleaching.
Exterior plywood treated like that here would be delaminating.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

I do think that plywood would be ok if you made sure the edges were sealed good either by coating them with good exterior glue or caulking, then painting them with quality paint.

John, just curious if you have tried this or if it is speculation?

I make some tops and bottoms out of plywood, but with eyes open that it is a short term ( 5 yrs or less) solution. Don't mean to be a grinch, but do think it is not right to lead folks to thinking a plywood box will remain serviceable. If it were so, then the bee supply houses would be selling them and the larger beeks here would be using them to save many thousands in boxes.

Just an FYI, Advantech states their product is not suitable for outdoor use.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Originally Posted by DonShackelford

John, just curious if you have tried this or if it is speculation?

I make some tops and bottoms out of plywood, but with eyes open that it is a short term ( 5 yrs or less) solution. Don't mean to be a grinch, but do think it is not right to lead folks to thinking a plywood box will remain serviceable. If it were so, then the bee supply houses would be selling them and the larger beeks here would be using them to save many thousands in boxes.

Just an FYI, Advantech states their product is not suitable for outdoor use.

Remember the opening post was about using plywood for NUC boxes not necessarily full boxes. I don't know about anyone else, but the nucs boxes I build don't spend ALL year out in the weather. Sometimes they are stacked in the garage when not being used. I still stick to the belief that if a person doesn't have a source for very cheap lumber that building nucs (DCOATES nucs) out of plywood is the most economical way to go, and they will last plenty long enough if they are sealed at edges (I paint with titebond II) and then painted with exterior paint. These type boxes to me are also nice for selling nucs in, granted there is work involved in making them, but they are SO much better(selling point, and I also build the value into the price of my nuc) than the cardboard or plastiboard nucs and possibly cheaper.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Don, no this is entirely speculation, I have never built any bee equipment out of plywood, I just threw this question out there to see the pro's and con's of it. I certainly don't want high maintenance equipment, even with nucs. I do plan to use them all year round so I need to take that into consideration. I would feel a whole lot better using pine, just need to find a cheaper source for the wood to get my unit price down at least another third from the lumber yard price, I will keep a lookout for the pallet wood. John

Re: plywood nuc boxes

I have about 20 5 frame DCOATES nucs that I built out of 1/2" plywood. They are in there 3rd
year of use. I glue(tite bond) and staple all joints. I then give them a couple of coats of exterior grade paint. I would not say 3 years of use is many years, however I am surprised of how good they are holding up. Some of them still look like the day I made them. You definetly need to make sure you seal up the edges good though. I would like to build them out of solid pine but the price is just ridiculous. Especially when you can make 4 nucs out of plywood for around $15!

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Originally Posted by jmgi

I would feel a whole lot better using pine, just need to find a cheaper source for the wood to get my unit price down John

One consolation about using pine John, your efforts build up over time. I'm looking at all the parts I've made this year. Added to that all the past parts I've made that are in the field. I too keep nucs in service 12 months a year, and building momentum.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

I used 3/4 advantec on a trailor. Warranty for 40 years, did not expect did not get. I used it laying flat unpainted, in the weather, buried in snow and melting snow ,etc. Corners are beginning to get pucky but it still hauls lawn mower around, crushed rock, etc. water sitting between metal frames and sheet is where it started to go. Been over ten years. Myself, rough scrap or 1/2 plywood for nuc.
There is a zip code finder if you poke around googling advantech, Huber Industries.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

I'm looking to build eight D.Coates NUCs and was thinking of using 1/2 inch "whole piece birch" plywood from Home Depot. Does anyone have any thoughts if a hardwood-based plywood ($11/nuc) would be more durable than the cheaper "pine-based" sanded plywood ($7/nuc). I don't mind paying $4 more per NUC if they are going to last longer. Here's examples of the two I'm considering:

As folks have mentioned above, I plan to paint the edges with Titebond II and put two quality coats of paint on them as well. The pours in the hardwood plywood are tighter which leads me to believe it would be the better choice of the two. But if it's not that big of an issue, I'll go with the cheaper pine-based plywood.

Started beekeeping in 2013 and having a blast with my 17 small cell hives!!

I would not expect a grade stamp on the birch plywood, but without a grade stamp its exterior performance is unknown. Even HD does not say anything about exterior in its description of the product. The only clue is the description of the glue, which leads to the manufacturer:http://columbiaforestproducts.com/PureBond.aspx
They say the glue is water resistant, but that does not necessarily mean the finished plywood is exterior grade.

I scrounge plywood, and use anything I get for free. But if I was buying plywood, I'd buy Exterior rated plywood.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

The sanded pine BC ply is put together with waterproof glue; the birch isn't.
I used some scrap birch ply for a tele cover, intending to tin it, but it was put to use without the metal and delaminated pretty quickly when exposed to weather, even though painted.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Originally Posted by DonShackelford

Just an FYI, Advantech states their product is not suitable for outdoor use.

I know they say it isn't designed for outdoor use, but, I have about 150 migratory covers with 72mm hole for jar top feeding. About half painted white, the others not painted. Most are five years or more old, no problems with any of them. Also have about a dozen 5 frame nucs made from Advantec.

Here is a photo of one of the 5 frame nucs, made with Advantec. As Beregondo said, they aren't pretty, but, they work. And the wood was free. If you know someone in the housing construction business, you may be able to get lots of small pieces of Advantec they use as sub flooring.

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Thanks Graham, Beregondo and Cleo. My son is a builder, so I think I'll hold off until he starts a new house and maybe I'll find some good Advantec or exterior plywood pieces to build my NUCs. I have to admit, you can't beat free!

Started beekeeping in 2013 and having a blast with my 17 small cell hives!!

Re: plywood nuc boxes

Originally Posted by ralittlefield

It is both tongue and grooved and square edge.

I find the same in our area. I see both, square edge, and tongue and groove. The short free pieces I get have been ripped. You can rip the tongue/groove off if you want to. For feeder tops, if it is tongue and groove, I just leave it as it. For nuc bottom boards, nuc tops, nucs, etc., i rip them.